Reacting to Michael Knowles Reacting to Woke Christmas TikToks

One of my kids asked me to react to Michael reacting to woke Christmas TickToks.  First of all, I will preface this with saying that, from the Daily Wire, while I love The Comments Section and Jordan Peterson, and I sometimes get a kick out of Matt Walsh, sometimes hate him, I generally can’t stand Michael Knowles.  The guy says that Yoga is Satanic, so it’s hard for me to take him seriously.  He’s so full of himself sometimes.  But I do love Christmas history, so I’ll bite.

He begins with saying “Merry Advent” like it’s a correction.  It’s true that in parts of Europe they give this greeting and reserve “Merry Christmas” for December 25th.  Advent is mostly a Catholic thing, so it isn’t really used as a greeting much in the US.  It’s not wrong to say Merry Christmas any time in December, in my opinion.

1^st point- Santa comes from many sources.  The name St. Nicholas- definitely an actual Saint from Christianity- a real man with many legends surrounding his life.  Odin is a real God too, and he really did fill kids shoes with gifts as a reward for feeding his 8-legged horse.  And why does Santa have 8 reindeer?  There are so many legends that have contributed to our modern Santa.  Look at his hat!  That’s a Nordic thing.  Ding ding, points to both sides.

@1:15- I get annoyed by people using Paganism to debunk Christianity too.  I don’t like it when people take our legends and culture and try to use it as ammunition to tear down other people’s beliefs.  Not all Pagans are like that!  It’s almost like some people become Pagan just because it’s a drum beat they can use to tear down Christianity.  And that definitely rubs me the wrong way.  They aren’t sincere, and their knowledge is too often superficial.  Having said that- sometimes, maybe even often, the “Did you know?” facts they bring out actually are true.  Christianity absolutely borrowed a LOT from Paganism.  I mean, look at Brigid in Ireland.  Goddess turned Saint, they didn’t even change her name.  Vet the things you hear.  Be curious.

2^nd point- As far as I can tell, the 12 days of Christmas comes from calendar changes.  You’ve got the Eastern Orthedox church celebrating Christ’s birth on January 6^th and the Roman Catholic church celebrating on December 25^th.  As a way to bring unity to the two, a 12-day celebration was created.  Points to Christianity for the 12 days.  I mean, come on, guys.  Christmas is nearly 2,000 years old- they came up with some original ideas in that time!  Saturnalia wasn’t a 12-day feast.  Yule was usually celebrated in January until they were forced to move it and match it up with Christmas.

Michael is right about Sol Invictus.  There were Pagan celebrations all throughout the year.  Christ could have been born any time of the year and people could have matched it up with something Pagans were doing.  Also- the dating of December 25^th Michael talks about is absolutely correct.  Christianity came up with the date on their own.

3^rd point- what the heck is she talking about?  Kissing under the mistletoe has nothing to do with sexual fertility rites held underneath it.  Where’s that coming from?  We do know that the druids would harvest and use it, but that’s about all we know.  In Nordic traditions, Mistletoe was used by Loki to trick Hodur into killing the god Baldur.  Freya was so heartbroken, her tears turned into Mistletoe berries.  She declared that Mistletoe would never be used to hurt anyone again, and so it became a symbol of love and peace.  Vikings would lay down their weapons under it as they gathered for various social needs.  And yes, people would pluck a berry and kiss under it too.  But I have no idea where this lady is coming from.

4^th point-  The pentagram is indeed a sacred symbol to many Pagans, and I take issue with Michael calling it a symbol of the devil.  The symbolism is beautiful.  You can respect it without embracing it as your own.  Having said that- I think Christmas trees go to team Christians- Pagans would put food on outdoor trees, and would bring in greenery to accent their homes for various holidays, but it was Christians who brought actual trees inside and decorated them.  The star on the top did represent the star of Bethlehem.  Today many Pagans have their own Yule trees with a star on the top to represent the Pentagram.  Christianity borrowed from Paganism and there’s nothing wrong with Paganism borrowing a little from Christianity too.  I don’t see why so many people have to get so heated over these things.

5^th point-  I don’t know about that, I’d love to see her sources if she has any.  Decorating the trees with fruits and presents may have come from the Pagan tradition of putting food on the outdoor trees as offerings.  It may have also come from the Adam and Eve feast day where they would have pageants and they put fruit on the trees for the story of the Garden of Eden, and then when the pageant was over, people could come to the tree and get a treat.  I read that once and can’t find * my* source.  I’ve never heard that each ornament represented a god or a patron Saint though.

6^th point- She’s right.  He’s right.  These symbols are beautiful and can be about intention.  Deck the halls.

7^th point- Singing  isn’t a monopoly owned by Paganism.  Caroling- well, the tradition comes from pre-Christian times.  Mummers went from door to door singing in exchange for food.  They weren’t beggars, they were often the people that worked for you during the year, and were unemployed in the winter.  If you wanted to be able to hire them again, and you often did need them, it was in your best interest to give them food so they could survive the winter.  Trick-or-treating comes from this tradition too, though dressing up was a Pagan tradition to scare away evil spirits.  How much of that is Pagan and how much was just cultural tradition?  It’s hard to tell when we know so little.  Also, I don’t know if Christmas caroling is necessarily Pagan as much as an ancient tradition that has been repurposed by modern lifestyles and Christianity.

8^th point- Eggnog?  Whatever.  It’s a cultural thing.  I love the “Tasting History with Max Miller” episode on Eggnog.  It’s not religious at all, it’s just a festive drink.  With alcohol.

9^th point- Yule log- yes, Pagan in origin.  But it was a Christian tradition too, for centuries.  We can share it.  The cake was inspired by the actual log people brought in and burned. When people didn’t have large fireplaces anymore because of modern heating, a cake that looked like the log was a fine substitute to help them remember the yule logs of their youth. Eat that Yule log cake and gather round the fire and tell some scary ghost stories and tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago.  Does it really have to be a competition?

10^th point- Yeah, Michael’s right.  I think the only reason we even remember Sol Invictus, why it is ever even talked about anymore, is because it happened to be on December 25^th.  It was never a big holiday, and it was a contemporary of early Christianity.  We don’t know enough about it to be claiming that Christians stole anything from this holiday.  Again- Christians came up with December 25^th on their own, and after much debate and study.  When Pagans try to claim that everything Christmas was stolen from Christianity, I think it’s propaganda to tear Christianity down.  And that’s unnecessary.  Our ancestors were capable of living side by side and blending elements of both in harmony.  We can do that too. I know Paganism has been suppressed so much through the ages, and I’m not one to say “turn the other cheek” these days. But I think there are better ways of standing up for ourselves than making up history.

11^th point- I agree that the American minstrel traditions aren’t racist.  They were born in a time when there was racism and people were navigating those issues, but there were composers and performers on both sides of the camp.  The composer of Jingle Bells happened to be a bit racist, this is true.  But the song itself- oh my gosh!  What’s this nonsense, why did he have to throw in that bit about the bells that were rarely used as a painful collar on slaves?  Those were usually used as a punishment.  They were horrible, but they have nothing to do with Jingle Bells.  Just look at the song, read the lyrics.  It’s not racist.  We’ve forgotten so much.  Those sleighs were so quiet, the jingle bells were an important safety feature to warn people that a they were approaching so they could get out of the way.

12^th– I agree with Michael on this one.  Hanukkah is a minor holiday for Jews, but it’s legit.  It has an interesting history and is worth learning about.  Kwanzaa- look, made up holidays can be fun, I don’t mind that it’s a made up holiday.  I love Pi day, and even Harry Potter day on May 2^nd.  May the 4^th be with you.  It’s the intention behind them.  My issue with Kwanzaa isn’t that it was made up, but that it was deliberately designed to supplant Christmas and promote anti-white and socialist propaganda.  Even the spellings are weird and off.  As such, there aren’t a lot of black people who celebrate it.  My Catholic black friend I met in South Carolina hated it because her parents taught her that it is anti-Christian too.  There are so many red flags when you get into the history of Kwanzaa.  Karenga, who created it, was an evil man.  Such an evil man.  In addition to torturing women, Karenga openly hated white people and he promoted Kwanzaa as a way to “de-whitify” the holiday season.  He was the founder of the United Slaves, which was a very violent organization that riveled the Black Panthers.  A lot of black people hated him then and still hate him today.  He was an FBI informant, and we know now that the FBI fueled the rivalry between the United Slaves and the Black Panthers. 

The 7 principles of Kwanzaa are the exact same as the Symbionese Liberation Army, which was a far-left terrorist group.  Once when someone asked Karenga what the difference was between the two organizations, he responded that “We also hate white people”.

There was a lot of cultural appropriation when he created the holiday too.  The first Kinara was a Jewish menora that had a candle-holder cut off.  Corn is an American crop, so it seems like a strange choice for celebrating ancient African harvest traditions.  And who celebrates the harvest in December?  Some people celebrate it with good intentions, and I can respect their good intentions.  But I think there could be such better ways for us to honor and celebrate the African American culture, especially as white people, than to pay lip service to a holiday that was specifically created to foster white hatred and tear down Christianity. 

Again- I don’t mind at all that Kwanzaa is a made-up holiday.  I mind the intentions behind its formation.  It goes against my race, my political views, and my spiritual sensibilities.  I can respect the good intentions of people who share information about the holiday.  There are many curriculums that include Kwanzaa, and they are beautifully written.  Sometimes I wish I didn’t know as much about its history so I could fully embrace the good things that Kwanzaa represents for some people.  After all- we love our Black brothers and sisters in this nation and recognize the beautiful cultural contributions to our American way of life.  I LOVE Jazz music- where would our music be without their influence?  That’s just the tip of the ice berg.  There are just better ways to honor them, methinks, than recognizing Kwanzaa.  If you feel torn about how to feel about Kwanzaa, that was intentional.  It wasn’t created to promote unity, but division.

Closing argument comments- If there’s a war on Christmas, I’ll be on Christmas’s side.  It is okay and beautiful to be given Christmas greetings.  But I also think it’s ridiculous to be against saying “Happy Holidays”.  Michael acts like Christmas, Hannukah and Kwanzaa are the only holidays in December, and that’s ridiculous.  St. Nicholas Day and St. Lucia Day are big ones, and those are Christian!  So is Las Posadas!  And then there’s Yule- that one is probably bigger than Kwanzaa in terms of how many people actually celebrate it and take it seriously.  There’s Bodhi Day for the Buddhists.  There’s Yalda in the middle east.  There’s the winter solstice, whether you’re Pagan or not.  There’s New Years celebrations.  And Christmas is too big for December 25^th, that’s why we have so many Christmas concerts, processions, parades and parties throughout the month.  “Happy Holidays” is an appropriate greeting too.  My grandparents chose a Christmas card in the 1950’s with this greeting on it.  I don’t know when “Happy Holidays” became a controversial greeting. Anti-anti- Christmas people take it too far too sometimes.  It’s all about intentions.  Negative reactions to the greeting “happy holidays” is as off-putting to me as negative reactions to “merry Christmas”.

End Reaction commentary.

Well, how did I do? I probably said enough to make both sides of the political spectrum angry, haha. I guess that leaves me somewhere in the middle.